March 2002
The Breakfast Club Visits a Cemetery
SABR Founder Bob Davids Dies
Upcoming Events
Baseball, Anyone?
American Association Almanac
Cow Chips
New Members
Calendar
Board of Directors
The Breakfast Club Visits a Cemetery The next breakfast is scheduled for April 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Baker’s Square in Richfield. As the event moves into the summer months, there has been talk of moving back to an 8:30 starting time. Members are asked to e-mail their preferences on starting times to Mark Johnson (mjohn@mr.net) or S. Thornley (stew@stewthornley.net).
Fifteen Halsey Hall Chapter members turned out for the Hot Stove Saturday Morning breakfast on February 9, and two-thirds of them then visited a number of graves at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, including those of Frank Trechock (a chapter guest in 1982) and our namesake, Halsey Hall.
SABR Founder Bob Davids Dies
Society for American Baseball Research founder L. Robert “Bob” Davids died in a hospital in a Washington, D.C. hospital early in the morning of Sunday, February 10 at the age of 75. He began publishing a monthly newsletter called Baseball Briefs in April 1971. A few months later he invited subscribers and other “statistorians,” as he called them, to meet in Cooperstown, New York. The 16 who attended, including Davids, became the charter members of SABR.
Born near Kanawha, Iowa, on March 19, 1926, Davids served in the Army Air Force during World War II and later began a long civilian service career with the federal government, including the Department of Defense and Atomic Energy Commission.
Davids was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Upcoming Events
The Halsey Hall Chapter Spring Meeting will be Saturday, May 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the Fairview Community Center, 1910 W. County Road B in Roseville, with the group attending the Twins-Yankees game at 6 p.m. To order tickets for the game, at $11 each, send your money by April 15 (checks made out to Stew Thornley) to S. Thornley, 1082 Lovell Avenue, Roseville, Minnesota 55113-4419. If you are interested in making a research presentation, contact Ray Luurs at 763-422-9699 or at luurscjg@aol.com. The cost of the meeting is $7.50.
Baseball, Anyone?
The Minnesota Gophers meet the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Metrodome at 1:30 on Saturday, March 2. Chapter members will assemble outside the Metrodome, by the big message sign on Sixth Street and Chicago Avenue, between 12:30 and 12:45. Those arriving later can look for the group in the back rows of sections in the lower deck on the third-base side (sections 129 to 132). Tickets are half-price with a Hormel product.
American Association Almanac
Rex Hamann reports that he now has 58 subscribers to his bi-monthly American Association Almanac, which contains news and features about the minor-league American Association. If you’d like to join the list, send annual dues of $8 to Rex at 14201 Crosstown Blvd. NW, Andover, Minnesota 55304. Those who repond by March 15 will receive a commemorative edition of the Almanac. Future editions will include Workhorse Catchers of the Associaton, 1927-1952; The 1902 Indianapolis Indians—First Champions of the American Association; and Harry Clark, Brewer/Managed in Most Games in the Association.
Cow Chips
Marc Hugunin was elected to the board of directors of the Washington County Historical Society on February 7. Marc is also a member of the Metropolitan Council. . . . Phyllis Thornley got a new left knee to go with the new right knee she got in December 2000.
New Members
Tom Swift is rejoining the Society for American Baseball Research after a hiatus. He hopes to get to know other baseball fans, contribute to research projects, and increase his enjoyment of baseball. Swifty grew up in New Brighton, Minnesota, and now lives in Northfield and is a writer as well as an editor for a small-town newspaper. He was an all-conference first baseman at Irondale High School and a member of the Tri-City Red American Legion team. A longtime Twins fan, Tom’s boyhood hero was Kent Hrbek. Tom was in attendance at the Metrodome when Cal Ripken got his 3,000th hit in April 2000. Tom shares his November 1 birthday with Bid McPhee, Vic Power, Grantland Rice, Fernando Valenzuela, and Larry Flynt.
Winston Wood is the co-umpire supervisor for the Northwoods League. He had been the general manager for the league’s Rochester Honkers from 1994 to 1996. He began his career in baseball administration in 1991 with the Bakersfield Dodgers and then the San Jose Giants of the California League. He served as assistant general manager of the Sioux Falls Canaries in 1993 before moving to the job with the Honkers. Winston, who left Rochester to get his Master’s in Business Administration from Santa Clara University in 1996, is also a senior business analyst for Metris Companies in Minneapolis, where he analyzes the credit worthiness of credit card customers.
Winston attended his first baseball games, at the Oakland Coliseum, in 1975 upon his return to the United States after having lived his first seven years in South America. Winston played six years of organized baseball through Babe Ruth League. He minored in athletic coaching at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Winston’s big moments as a fan include seeing Rickey Henderson tie Lou Brock’s single-season stolen base record in 1982, watching Mark McGwire in batting practice at Candelstick Park in 1998, getting a foul ball hit by rookie Jeff Bagwell of Mike Morgan at Dodger Stadium in 1991, and seeing the Northwoods League All-Stars beat Team USA in 10 innings in 2001. Winston’s hobbies include playing the piano and visiting brewpubs and beer festivals.
Winston lives in Minnetrista with his wife, Dawn, who gave him a SABR membership as a Christmas present. Winston shares his June 21 birthday with Donovan Osborne, Charlie Moore, Rick Sutcliffe, Eddie Lopat, and Nicole Kidman.
Directory information for the new members, as well as a reinstated member, Jim Sexton, is below.
Winston Wood
1005 Bayside Lane
Minnetrista, Minnesota 55364
952-472-1408
E-mail: wawood@att.net
Tom Swift
825 Headley Court
Northfield, Minnesota 55057-1471
507-645-2280
E-mail: swifttom@hotmail.com
Jim Sexton
1655 Atwater Path
Inver Grove Heights, Minn. 55077
651-451-9490
E-mail: hjwagner@mediaone.net
Calendar
April 6—Hot Stove Saturday Mid-Morning,
9:30 a.m., Baker’s Square, Sixty-Sixth and Xerxes, Richfield
May 11—Spring Chapter Meeting, Fairview Community Center, Roseville
Halsey Hall Chapter
Board of Directors 2001-02
President—Cary Smith
Vice President—Ray Luurs
Secretary—Rich Arpi
Treasurer—Kevin Hennessy
Fred Buckland
Dan Cagley
Dan Levitt
Webmaster—Deano Thilgen
The Holy Cow! Editor—Stew Thornley
Holy Cow Extra Editor—Bob Tholkes
Please direct news about chapter events, about
yourself or about other chapter members to:
S. Thornley
1082 Lovell Avenue
Roseville, Minnesota 55113-4419
E-mail Stew Thornley